Writing business letters

To represent your business professionally, each of these needs to be professionally written and professionally designed.

1. Writing Business Letters

2. Learning Outcomes Explain the need for writing effective business letters. List the elements of a business letter. Describe the three basic layouts of business letters.

3. Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekFRWnPV6lc

4. key points from this module  1. Why we need business letters? Need for formal writing. Recording purpose. Professional outlook. Builds up goodwill 2. Elements of a business letter: Heading Date Inside Address Reference Subject Attention line Salutation Body Complimentary Close Signature Identification marks Enclosure Copy Notation

5. Heading Also known as the letterhead. Shows the sender/organization's name, full address, telephone/fax numbers and email address. When a letterhead paper is not used the sender's address is either aligned with the left or the right margin. Date Type the date directly below the heading address. The day, the month and the year are in the upper right-hand corner. Inside Address Avoid using ladder style addresses. Use appropriate titles. Use "To" correctly. Reference This reference is given to indicate the context in which the letter written. This includes date, reference to previous invitation, correspondence or advertisement number. When a second reference is given by the sender for future communication, it is brought under our reference. Subject The subject gives a preview of the main content of the letter. It puts in a nutshell the while body of the letter in just three words or in a single sentence. Often it looks like a topical sentence. When you apply for a job, the subject can be simply application for the post or program manager, Application for the post of assistant professor, Application for the post of deputy manager and so on. Attention Line Often people do not realize the importance of attention line, and so, they write without it. However, attention line is important in huge corporate offices as it helps in easily sorting out and sending the mail directly to the concerned person. Salutation Salutations are pleasant greetings before the beginning of something. It's just like the way we greet somebody in morning by saying: Good Morning, Hello, etc. In professional environment all letters begin with proper salutations before the body of the letter. The salutations indicate the status involved in the relationship between the sender and the receiver.

6. Body of the Letter Body/message has 3 main divisions: First Paragraph :  Introduction and statement of purpose. Middle Paragraph/s:   Details and other information surrounding the purpose. Final Paragraph:   Polite, closing, expression or appreciation for assistance(even if in advance), and/or statement of follow-up intentions, expected actions. Participial Endings: (hoping, expecting) Sound very trite and should be avoided as far as possible. If, however, you close your letter with the phrase containing a present participle, e.g., "Hoping to hear from you soon," you should add "I am" as shown below: Hoping to hear from you soon, I am,                            I remain, Yours faithfully,         Yours sincerely, Complimentary Close A courteous leave-taking - a polite way of ending a letter. Typed two spaces below the last line of the body of the letter. The close must agree with the salutation. 

7. Signature Signed name of the writer. It gives authenticity to the information contained in the letter. Often includes the name, the title(especially of the name is likely to leave the reader in doubt) and the position (if not already mentioned in the letterhead). Identification Marks Gives information about the person who dictated and the one who typed the letter. Enclosure Refers to any documents attached to the letter. Copy Notation Indicates the person who is receiving a courtesy/carbon copy(CC) or photocopy(PC). Post Script P.S or P.P.S.After thoughts in personal letters. Avoid post scripts in business letters and job application letters - it conveys an impression of poor planning.

8. Letter Layout: Standard                                                                  Heading                                                                                                                                        Date Inside Address  Reference Subject Attention Line Salutation Body                                                                                                             Complimentary Close                                                                                                                                  Signature Identification Marks Enclosure Copy Notation

9. Letter Layout: Right Aligned Heading Date Inside Address Reference Subject Attention Line Salutation Body Complimentary Close Signature Identification Marks Enclosure Copy Notation

10. Letter Layout: Left Aligned Heading Date Inside Address Reference Subject Attention Line Salutation Body Complimentary Close Signature Identification Marks Enclosure Copy Notation

11. Thank You